Vascular Plant Diversity of Udayagiri Fort, Kanyakumari District, Tamilnadu, India
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Bioscience Discovery, 5(2):204-217, July - 2014 © RUT Printer and Publisher (http://jbsd.in) ISSN: 2229-3469 (Print); ISSN: 2231-024X (Online) Received: 02-06-2014, Revised: 19-06-2014, Accepted: 23-06-2014e Full Length Article Vascular plant diversity of Udayagiri fort, Kanyakumari district, Tamilnadu, India S Sukumaran1 and B Parthiban2 1Department of Botany, Nesamony Memorial Christian College, Marthandam, Kanyakumari District, Tamilnadu, India 2Department of Botany, South Travancore Hindu College, Nagercoil, Kanyakumari District, Tamilnadu, India [email protected] ABSTRACT In this study, a systematic investigation on the plants of Udayagiri Fort was made, that the species composing of plants in the fort are analyzed and discussed, intending to provide scientific gist for the ecorestoration of the fort. The results showed that there were 346 plants species, which belonged to 265 genera and 90 families. Taxonomically dicotyledons plants were the most species rich and contribute 292 taxa belonging to 218 genera and 75 families, whereas monocotyledonous plants contribute 54 taxa belonging to 47 genera and 15 families. Fabaceae and Acanthaceae was the most speciose famiy with 21 species each. Most plant species of the study area are of considerable ecological and economic importance, useful as bioresources to wild fauna and human beings. Of the total 346 wild/naturalized plant species, most are useful as medicinal plants, and others are valuable as edible fruits, timbers, fuelwood, etc. Most of the plants recorded from the fort are economically important. The medicinal plant ranked first with 191 species, 50 species having ornamental value, 13 species had timber value, edible 11 species and 58 species were regarded for green manure. Many multipurpose species were also reported from fort. Key words: Archaeological sites, Biodiversity, Kanyakumari district, Udayagiri fort. INTRODUCTION Udayagiri fort, a biodiversity park in the Biodiversity reflects variety and variability within southernmost district of peninsular India, still and among living organisms, their associations and harbours some patches of tropical dry evergreen habitat-oriented ecological complexes. Natural and forests. It is necessary to document the floristic cultural heritage sites frequently have wealth and also to identify those plant species that nonoverlapping or even conflicting conservation are in urgent need of conservation, as the priorities, because human impacts have often Biodiversity Park is highly disturbed by habitat resulted in local extirpations and reduced levels of alteration. Moreover, before implementing any native biodiversity (Ben et al., 2013). Conservation conservation strategy it is of utmost necessity to of biodiversity is essential for the proper understand the existing vegetation profile and to functioning of ecosystems and for the maintenance select the appropriate species for ecorestoration of the environmental services they provide (Lopez- program. In the past, workers such as Raj and del-Toro et al., 2009; Lal and Singh, 2012; Sukumaran (1997), Swamy et al. (1998), Jeeva et al. Sainkhediya and Ray, 2012; Soromessa and (2005a,b, 2006), Kingston et al. (2006) and Prakash Kelbessa, 2013; Suba et al., 2014). The et al. (2006) have studied the phytodiversity of the preservation of archeological sites does not always region. Nayar (1959), Lawrence (1960), Henry and overlap with the conservation of biodiversity. Swaminathan (1981), Sundarapandian and Swamy http://biosciencediscovery.com 204 ISSN: 2231-024X (Online) S Sukumaran and B Parthiban (1997), Swamy et al. (2000) and Mahesh et al. Thambi Dalava. In the later years, the English East (2010) have explored the vegetation of India Company's troops were stationed there till Kanyakumari district.Plant diversity and the middle of the 19th century. Foundry for the conservation status of some sacred groves of manufacture of guns, mortars and cannonballs Kanyakumari district were studied by Raj and were also established within the fort under the Sukumaran (1997), Sukumaran (1997), Sukumaran supervision of the General. and Jeeva (2008) and Sukumaran et al. (2008, The fort is built of massive granite blocks 2009). Plant diversity in the traditional homestead around an isolated hillock. The tombs of the Dutch agroforestry system was explored by Paul (2009), Admiral Eustachius De Lannoy, (in whose honour Anami and Kingston (2009) and Geetha (2011). the fort was once called Dillanai Kottai— De Recently, Sukumaran and his coworkers (2011a, b) Lennoy's Fort), and of his wife and son can still be studied the wetland plants of the district with found inside a partly ruined chapel in the fort. De limited objectives. The previous plant explorers Lannoy's body was buried within the fort and a have paid much attention to forests, sacred groves chapel was built at his burial site. De Lannoy's and wetlands and not protected areas and tombstone lies within the walls of the ruined archaeological sites. Hence, there is an urgent need chapel. The inscriptions on his stone are both in for the exploration of the plant wealth in the Tamil and in Latin. His wife and son were buried by Udayagiri Fort, Kanyakumari district, Tamilnadu, his side. India. With this background, the present study was Recently, officials of the Department of intended to assess the untapped floral resources Archaeology found an underground tunnel within and prepare a floral inventory of Udayagirir Fort at the fort. Presently, the fort has been turned into a Puliyoorkurichi of Kanyakumair district, Tamilnadu, bio-diversity park by the Tamil Nadu forest India. department, with sites of historical importance, such as De Lannoy's tomb, remaining as protected MATERIALS AND METHODS archaeological sites under the Archaeological Study Area Department of India. The fort in Tamil Nadu is located at a distance of Climate and Soil 14 km from Nagercoil town in Kanyakumari District. The climate of Kanyakumari district is The fort is situated on theThiruvananthapuram- warm and humid. Summer starts from March to Nagercoil National highway at Puliyoorkurichi May followed by southwest monsoon from June to (8°14′38.4″N 77°19′55.2″E). This was the most September. October and November constitute the important military barracks of post-monsoon or retreating monsoon season with the Travancore rulers, when Padmanabhapuram frequent thunderstorms. From December to was their capital. The port had been originally built February, northeast monsoon season (is confined in the 17th century, and then rebuilt later by with rains) and the remaining months generally Maharaja Marthanda Varma of Travancore in the have bright weather. Rainfall varies from 103 cm to 18th century. Enclosing an area of about 90 acres 310 cm, and elevation from sea level to 1829 m (36 ha), with an isolated hill 260 feet (79 m) high, above sea level (Figure 1). Gneissic rocks are the fort contains an old foundry which was used for predominant in this region. The soil is red, varying casting guns. in the quantity of ferruginous element. The fort was rebuilt during the reign Biodiversity of Udayagiri Fort of Marthanda Varma, Venad King, during 1741-44 The picturesque Udayagiri Fort harbours under the supervision of Eustachius De Lannoy, a native tropical vegetation, and plantations; there Flemish naval commander of the Dutch East India are still portions of the fort with native vegetation Company, who later served as the Chief of of tropical dry evergreen forest, tropical dry the Travancore Army. In the early days, the fort evergreen scrub, savannah and thorn forests. The was of strategic importance. Prisoners captured in plant wealth and biodiversity of the fort is the campaign against Tippu Sultan were confined in augmented by the plant wealth in the plantation the fort for some time. In 1810, the East India inside the fort. The plantation is endowed with Company's Army under Colonel Leger marched into some of the rare, endemic and endangered plants the Travancore State through the Aramboly Pass to of the Western Ghats. quell a rebellion under the leadership of Velu http://biosciencediscovery.com 205 ISSN: 2231-024X (Online) Bioscience Discovery, 5(2):204-217, July-2014 ISSN: 2229-3469 (Print) The medicinal garden inside the fort has a precatorius, Achyranthes aspera, Cissus vitiginea, C. large number of medicinal plants, used in the quadrangularis, Carissa spinarum, Sansevieria traditional medicinal system of Kanyakumari roxburghiana, Trichosanthes tricuspidata, etc. Two district. The medicinal plants of the fort are the species of parasitic angiosperms were reported, control of Tamilnadu Forest Department by which include Dendrophthoe falcata and Cuscuta Kanyakumari Forest Division. reflexa. The shrub D. falcata, a partial stem Floristic Survey parasite, can be seen frequently parasitizing the The task of inventorying the plant diversity trees Mangifera indica and Anacardium of Udayagiri fort was undertaken systematically occidentale. Cuscuta reflexa is a commonly and intensively from November 2013 to April 2014, occurring total stem parasite, parasitizing shrubs to cover most species in flowering and fruiting and trees of the biodiversity park. stages and also to cover various seasons. Plant A large number of exotic flora were species were identified using regional floras reported from the Udayagiri Fort which include (Gamble, 1921-1935; Mathew, 1991; Nair et al., Acacia nilotica, Ageratum conyzoides, Annona 1983; Henry et al., 1987, 1989). Angiosperm squamosa, Asparagus racemosus,